chí zi
pond; pool
池子里有许多鱼。
chí zǐ lǐ yǒu xǔ duō yú.
There are many fish in the pond.
我们在池子里游泳。
wǒ men zài chí zǐ lǐ yóu yǒng.
We are swimming in the pond.
池子里的水很清澈。
chí zǐ lǐ de shuǐ hěn qīng chè.
The water in the pond is very clear.
陆地 (lùdì)
land
海洋 (hǎiyáng)
ocean
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The Chinese word 池子 (chízi) for "pond" or "pool" has an interesting etymology. It is composed of two characters: 池 (chí), which means "pond" or "pool", and 子 (zi), which is a diminutive suffix. The character 池 is a pictograph depicting a body of water with a small island in the middle. The character 子 is often used to form diminutive nouns, such as 小孩 (xiǎohái) for "child" or 小猫 (xiǎomāo) for "kitten". In the case of 池子, the diminutive suffix 子 suggests that the pond or pool is small or insignificant. This etymology reflects the way that Chinese characters can be combined to create new words with specific meanings and nuances.
